It’s that time of year. Presents are expected. It’s supposed to be a joyful and generous season, but some people are hard to get gifts for. There are undercurrents of expectations and emotions. This can be stressful. You’re lucky if you have a chicken keeper on your list. We are the easiest people to shop for! Personally, I thrill to getting a new muck tub, a stiff broom and a fine-tined pitchfork. Don’t think of these things as yucky manure movers. Rather, they are tools – and just like power tools are the gift of choice for a guy with a workshop, so are barn tools the ultimate gift for those of us who care for critters. Yes, wrapping is a challenge – don’t fuss. Just tuck on a bow!

That said, perhaps you don’t want to carry a manure bucket with you on your flight home – perhaps you want to give a gift that fits into a stocking, or on the table by the Chanukah candles, If so, then I have some other ideas.

Around here, a pair of warm socks, with a chicken motif, will make you the best Santa, ever.

Chicken people have eggs, and that means that they appreciate kitchen tools.

Everyone should have an egg slicer.

I couldn’t make my apple pies without this brilliant corer/parer/slicer. (Not exactly egg-related but too wonderful not to mention here.)

The eggs in this basket were all blown out using a

A stainless steel, professional quality whisk, like this one makes short work of whipping up eggs. Truly, quality makes a difference.

A spatula that can flip two fried eggs at once is a workhorse in my kitchen.

As this photograph makes obvious, I’m all set with whisks and spatulas. (Look closely and you’ll see that my measuring spoons are stored in a vintage poultry trophy.)

As much as I like tools, I’m not one for gadgets. That said, I find these molds for hard-cooked eggs irresistible.  There’s even a Hello Kitty egg mold. (I don’t have this one. Hint.) I’ve written about how to use these on this post.

Wrap gifts in this gorgeous and sophisticated paper. Actually, you could give me an empty box wrapped with this paper, and I’d be happy!

What gift would make you happy?

Here are the pies made for my Thanksgiving Pie Party:
(Pies that I have recipes written up for have links attached- they’re the underlined ones.)

Two savory pies started the buffet. They were cream and cheese based, rather than eggy. Quite rich.

Zucchini Tart

Corn and Tomato Tart

There were several riffs on apple pie. All of the apples used were locally grown and were tart baking varieties, like Empire and Cortlands.

Classic Apple Pie. The cinnamon stick adds flavor and is also the steam vent.

Cranberry Apple Pie with a Oatmeal, Pecan, Crystalized Ginger Crumble. (Here’s a version of that topping.)

Lemon Pie. The easiest recipe, ever.

Of course, there were pies made with chocolate.

Tollhouse Pie, and also a version with mint chocolate chips.

Chocolate Chunk, Pecan and Peanut Butter Chip Pie.

And, finally, this rich, complex Chocolate Pie with Mascarpone Whipped Cream.

I made two of those and there’s a piece left in the fridge! Leftovers are the best part of the Pie Party.

For Thanksgiving in our house there’s no turkey, no stuffing, no cranberry sauce. Those foods are all well and good, but my guys couldn’t care less about them. I’ve made the traditional feast, and, in all honesty, it wasn’t worth the effort to my family. So, I’ve turned the holiday into an excuse to make pie. Although pie takes planning and work and time, it is my favorite thing to make, and, unlike the rest of the Thanksgiving meal, pie is greeted with enthusiasm by the people that I live with. So, I bake pie. A lot of pie.

For the last ten years, the Sunday after Thanksgiving is when I have a Pie Party. Thirty-two people showed up yesterday. Each person eats half a pie. Yes, they really do – I keep records of what I bake and what’s leftover. I know what people eat! Yesterday I set out fifteen pies.

Fifteen pies require crusts. Some have pastry on tops and bottoms. It took me three prep sessions in advance to make the twenty crusts needed. I roll out and freeze the crusts a week before the party. My directions are here.

I like my pies to look rustic. My lattice work is uneven. That’s on purpose.

Sometimes pies take finagling to get them right. The juices in this berry pie didn’t set the way I wanted, so I spooned the excess out. Spilled juices don’t mar that uneven lattice. It’s not the prettiest pie, but finessed just so, it was the favorite pie of the party.

Some pies require pre-baked crusts. The table on the porch provided a cooling spot.

There are always leftover scraps of crust. I turn those into Pie Crust Cookies. Which is a good thing to have, because it is hard to wait until the party for pie!

All in all, I made eleven different types of pies. I use the organization skills that I learned when I worked in professional kitchens. I start with the menu. I make a shopping list, which is broken down into what can be purchased in advance, and what needs to be fresh. I create a prep list, divided into do-ahead jobs, and those that are last minute. I create a timetable for the last two days – what needs chilling, when a pie needs baking off, etc. Being organized is what allows me to enjoy the process of the actual baking.

I’m the only cook in the family, and I like it like that. I do get help with tidying the house, bringing out the folding chairs, etc. Although, not everyone lends a hand.

Tomorrow I’ll show you the pies.